Nicole

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 14 Recap

Hello again, savvy savers! Happy valentine’s Day! I hope everyone has had an awesome, fun-filled, budget-friendly love fest today! And if you didn’t, then I hope your day was spent taking time to nourish, pamper, and enrich the most important person in your life, yourself! So, today I challenged you all to consider ways to participate in today’s festivities, No-Spend Style!

Did you know that the average American will spend nearly $150.00, per person today? Well, not those of us, huh? The beauty of a No-Spend Month Challenge, is that we all have the ability to plan incredible holiday events without depleting out bank accounts in the process, and today was no exception! I am really excited to say that my husband Daniel and I had an awesome day!

Here’s what we were able to do:

I started today’s holiday last evening, when I changed my bed linens to a more romantic theme, which turned out well in my opinion.
We started this morning with a free breakfast. I surprised my husband with Chick-fil-a Minis, paid for using a free card I received from Chick-fil-A Mom’s Group, the cards from my yearly Chick-Fil-A Calendar, as well as this months promotional free iced lattes!
From there, I whisked my husband away to a free tour of our local Folk Art Museum, which we both loved!
We then headed to Winn-Dixie. Using free promotional coupons I received in the mail and squirreled away, I was able to “buy” my husband some awesome freebie snacks, including World Peas, Snicker bars, 5 free 12-packs of Coca-Cola from My Coke Rewards,, and while in-store, scored free cups of coffee and two free carnations for myself!
We then headed to a local Day Spa, where using a free 15-minute chair massage coupon I received from my Secret Santa at work, treated my husband to a chair massage!
Next, we headed out to our local Sam’s Club. We both participated in today’s Free In-Club Health Screenings, and then had lunch, by way of 32 free, in-club samples! While at Sam’s, I picked up two boxes of chocolate truffles I previously ordered at customer service this week; I paid for the truffles using my Walmart Gift Card, funded from rebate money earned using the Walmart Savings Catcher. We also used what was left on the card to finish filling up our gas tank, too. I surprised my husband with the truffles and the free Valentine’s Day card I scored online last month, tucked away in my purse; I placed the gifts in the driver’s seat of our car while he pumped gas for us. Always the gentleman, that one!
Following this, my husband and I went to out local historical theater, and caught a free afternoon matinee of Casablanca!
Time for dinner! This evening, I treated my husband to a free dinner at Chili’s. I used a free gift card won on Crowdtap, and scored free salsa and chips from Chili’s Email Club! I used a free gift card from P&G from summer 2014 to pay for tax and tip!
On the way home, we stopped by CVS to scoop up a Ben & Jerry’s Mini Cup, free after rebate this week from Saving Star, and paid for my purchase using ExtraCare Bucks!
While outside CVS, we also scored two free Redbox Kiosque rentals using free text codes.
Once home, my husband fired up our patio fire pit, using several of my DIY Pine Cone Fire Starters, and we watched the sunset together!
We are going to finish the evening with a few fun films, Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, and each other’s company!

So today we experienced a fun, full day of quality time together, and so I feel my challenge was a resounding success! We both made the most of your Valentine’s Day, without having to spend a dime!

The retail cost of today’s events: $208.34

What I paid: $0.00!

As well yesterday I was also able to accomplish:

As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner, before heading out this morning.
Read my daily devotional.

Yesterday I saved:

I planned a free Valentine’s Day with my husband.
I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.

Total amount I saved my family: $212.02

This months savings goal remaining: $132.84

So, savvy savers, did you take up today’s challenge with the one you love today? I’d love to hear about, so please leave me a comment! Be sure to check back tomorrow morning for the final day of our weekly cleaning aspect of out No-Spend Month Challenges, as well as frugal President’s Day & Mardi Gras Ideas!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

9 Comments

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 13 Recap & Day 14 Challenge (No-Spend Valentine’s Day Ideas)

Good morning, savvy savers! Can you believe we are almost half-way finished with this month! So, yesterday was another organization day, focused on our home offices, bookshelves, craft areas, and/or home libraries. This was a very important challenge for me as I work from home, and so I spend an inordinate amount of time at my desk. You would think that would mean I automatically have the motivation to keep that area neat and tidy at all times. And while generally speaking my desk is clutter-free, my drawers, rolling cabinets, and shelves are not! My inbox/outbox too, was a mess, and my vertical files were full of unneeded papers, review guides, and coupons I hadn’t looked in several months. I firmly believe that home are our most important investments, and therefore our most important business. Keeping this space organized is essential to keeping our homes running more smoothly.

I’m really excited about yesterday’s progress.

So, I was able to:

I cleared off my desk.
I organized my dining room bookshelves, putting like groups together, and placing non re-reads to a bin for a later book swap weekend.
I took the binders and manuals I previously housed in on my dining room shelves, and placed them on an upcycled shelf in my office.
I turned my former dining room buffet station into an office credenza to hold my craft room staples.
I sorted through my personal files, and established a personal box for my husband and I both, as well as created a new lock box system for credit cards, cash, gift cards, etc.
I cleaned out my coupon binder.

I felt completely overwhelmed when I started, and utterly victorious when I stopped! Woohoo!

As well yesterday I was also able to accomplish:

As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
I finished a day’s worth of clerking assignments ahead of schedule!
I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
Read my daily devotional.
I waked two miles.

Yesterday I saved:

I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95.
I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag.
My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.
I lost a half day’s worth of electricity costs, and saved $3.00!

Total amount I saved my family: $14.57

This months savings goal remaining: $344.86

Now for today’s challenge:

So, with Valentine’s Day in mind, I challenge you to all find ways to make the most of your Valentine’s Day, without having to spend a dime!

A few ideas:

Tour a local brewery or winery–most breweries and wineries offer free tours and tastings!
Have a picnic in the park–Pack a few treats, a bottle of wine, a blanket, and your love to keep you warm!
Cook or bake together–What’s more romantic than preparing a meal together, in-kitchen… matching aprons anyone?
Attend a book reading– Check your bookseller or commerce to see what is going on.
Attend a free art show–As it’s President’s Day Weekend, many public museums will be open this weekend, and offer free admission!
Play a game–Board games can be easily made into a couples activity.
Have a movie night at home–Check your mobile phones as Redbox will be texting all subscribers with free Valentine’s Day codes!
Stroll the beach–What’s more romantic than a shoreline stroll, while holding hands, while watching the waves crash onto shore. I’m a Jersey Shore Girl at heart, so this rocks to me!
Visit a farmer’s market–-Spend a morning checking out the work of local artisans, many of whom offer free samples and will barter! Sing for your supper, if you will.
Go for a drive–Take a ride along a historic parkway, take the scenic mountain pass trail, or follow a Native American path. The options are endless.
Have a spa day–Enjoy a romantic candlelit bath together, make DIY, organic products at home, give one another foot rubs or back massages.
Explore a nearby tourist attraction– Stop by the visitor’s bureau or chamber of commerce in your own backyard, and see the local sights in a new, romantic light!
Paint– Draw a portrait of your loved on, no experience necessary. Sometimes seeing yourself, through someone that loves you, is all the perspective you need to value today!

So, savvy savers, I challenge you today to plan a No-Spend Day with the one you love today! If your life doesn’t include a significant other, no problem! Plan a day with your family, your parents, your friends, or for yourself! Be creative. Be spontaneous! Be inspired!

Be sure to check back tonight for today’s recap!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

3 Comments

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 13 (Home Office & Craft Room Organization)

Good evening, savvy savers! Can you believe we are almost half-way finished with this month! So, today is going to be another organization day, but today we will be focusing on our home offices, bookshelves, craft areas, and/or home libraries.

This is a very important challenge for me as I work from home, and so I spend an inordinate amount of time at my desk. You would think that would mean I automatically have the motivation to keep that area neat and tidy at all times. And while generally speaking my desk is clutter-free, my drawers, rolling cabinets, and shelves are not! My inbox/outbox too, was a mess, and my vertical files were full of unneeded papers, review guides, and coupons I hadn’t looked in several months. I firmly believe that home are our most important investments, and therefore our most important business. Keeping this space organized is essential to keeping our homes running more smoothly.

So, for today I challenge you to join me in cleaning up these areas in our homes.

A few tips to consider today in your home office:

Create a container for important family and personal documents; this includes licenses, insurance forms, medical records, etc.
Clear out your coupon binders, and make room for the extra inserts coming this Spring; be sure to donate coupons to Coups For Troops.
Tax files over five years in age, can be shredded and discarded.
Be sure to recycle all paper products.
Magazines can be donated to public schools and libraries.
Tackle boxes make awesome crafting, beading, and thread organizers.
Consider grouping like books together on shelves; educational, biographies, fiction, non-fiction, etc.
Any books you would not consider either home reference editions or you would gladly re-read, place to the side, for local book swaps or library donations.
Re-think your office furniture; dressers, buffets, and other larger pieces can still be functional desk spaces, and will allow you to have cabinet space, too!

I’m really excited about today’s challenge, and I hope you will join me in getting rid of all of your access office, craft room, and shelves clutter today, too!

Please stay tuned tomorrow for today’s recap and the Day 14 Challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

8 Comments

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 12 Recap

Good evening, savvy savers! Today I challenged you all to tackle cleaning out your little caves of wonder, your bedroom closets! If you are anything like me, your closet was nothing short of a time capsule of the last decade of your life, and probably need a cleaning overhaul today.

You were allotted: 40 hangers, a skinny bin, and that’s it! So, how did you all do today? For me, I was able to clean out my closet and had eight hangers left over, woohoo! As well, all of my purged clothes will be used next week during our “selling week;” all of the clothes being purged can be donated, sold, or upcycled, too! My closet, which was already small, went from having the rod bowing in the center, to being freed up! I can now see all of the pieces I love! I forgot I still had my Burberry wrap! How awesome is that!

Now, before anyone asks, my boxes shoes are located above my closet, and I have an awesome, huge set of built-in drawers which house my house clothes, pajamas, scarves, and more. But my closet, long the place where garments were pressed together so tightly they could not move, is now free-flowing, organized by fabric, and I now feel that despite losing a few dozen items, I have more options, as every item I kept I can fit, and just love!

As I organized my closet I kept three piles: A pile of wearable outfits, a pile of donations, and a pile of clothes which can be sold. And when I was finished I tried on each and every outfit in the keep pile, and guess what? Three outfits were too large for me currently, which was an awesome affirming moment for me! All-in-all, this was painless, and left me feeling elated!

The 40 hanger system is a keeper for me!

So, here’s the before and after:

As well today, I was also able to accomplish:

As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
I finished a day’s worth of clerking assignments ahead of schedule!
I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
Read my daily devotional.
I waked two miles.

Today I saved:

I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95.
I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag.
My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.
I lost a half day’s worth of electricity costs, and saved $3.00!

So, overall today my family saved: $14.57

This months savings goal remaining: $359.43

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Day 13 challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

7 Comments

DIY Pencil Pouches!

Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with another awesome DIY project just in time for national test prep in most schools! If you were anything like me as a child, you always needed a pencil pouch, supply case, and student ID bag; all needed to make sure that our schedules, Lisa Frank pencils, push-through lead insert-able pencils, scented Mr. Sketch markers, and the illicit ultra-cool, but highly impracticable pencil top erasers handy! With most schools prepping for National Standardized Testing next month before Spring break, now is a great time to send the kiddos off to school in style, clad with new pencils, in an affordable pencil pouch!

Also worth noting, be sure to check the Scotch website for everyday coupons on duct tape, colored tape, and the like; I purchased my rolls of Duct Tape, the day after Christmas for the past two years, at CVS with coupons, for only $0.10 per roll! I also purchase my baggies, with coupon at the Dollar Tree, making this project $0.15 per bag, on average!

So, to begin you will need the following:

Scissors or Cutting Board
Ziplock bags; quart size for Pencil Pouches and Student ID & Gallon Bag for In-Binder School Supply Pouch
3-Ring Hole Punch
Customized Duct Tape
Straight Edge
Card-stock or Scrapbook Paper Sheet
Sharpie or Colored Marker
Binder (or D Clip, if linking to a backpack)
Page Re-Enforcers, Optional

Here’s how to make the DIY Pencil Pouches:

Lay a Ziplock baggie on a clean surface, as flat as possible.
using a straight edge and sharpie, mark two inches off of the bottom of the baggie.
Cut the two inch section off of the baggie and set to the side.
Lay your tape flat on the baggie, and continue to wrap each strip of the baggie; each baggie will use three strips.
Secure the bottom strip together.
If you just want a pencil pouch, you are now done!

So that it, folks! An easy-peasy DIY version of DIY Pencil Pouches!

Here’ to saving,

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February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 12 (Clean Out Your Closet)

Good morning, savvy savers! I hope you are all well rested, and in the mindset to save this morning! Things are a little amiss at my home this morning, as two of my three fuzzy little girls are at the vet this morning, one with an ear infection, and the second getting her final round of puppy vaccinations; when all of my family isn’t home, human and fuzzy alike, this seems a little sadder, you know? So today, in keeping with this weeks cleaning trend, I want to focus on another problem area in many homes, our personal closets. Yes, our little caves of wonder. If you are anything like me, your closet is nothing short of a time capsule of the last decade of your life, and probably in need of an overhaul today!

So today, I challenge you to purge your closet. But there is a catch to today’s challenge, you can only keep 40 items. Now before anyone gasps in horror, this is a purposed experiment. I am challenging you to limit your closets to 40 hangers, 40 items so that your closet only contains clothes you can currently fit, look great in, and simply love! All of the clothes being purged can be donated, sold, or upcycled, too!

So here are a few tips to help you purge your closet:

Purge veraciously. Keep only the items that you absolutely love, can comfortably fit, and wear on a regular basis.
If something doesn’t fit “just right,” has holes, stains, is out of season, or you haven’t worn in one year, toss it!
Skinny Bin. For clothes that you are five pounds from fitting, create a bin or basket which can be placed in the top of your closet; no more than ten pieces.
Think Fabric. Torn or stained items, made of interested fabrics, can be reprieved from the donation bin, and instead may be cut into strips or squares for crafting; think pillo cases, framed vintage tees, tee-shirt rugs, and more!
Invest in great hangers. Think smaller, huggable hangers for clothing, and bendable hangers for swearers; plastic hangers can be re-purposed to hang fabric in your craft room, and wire hangers can be stored for wreath forms.
Maximize your losses. Purged items can be sold via Craigslist, eBay, Facebook, consignment shops, Threadup, or garage sales.

Don’t think of this as a chore, but a life lesson. By purging the things we don’t need, want, or use, we are making room for all of the clothing and accessories that make our bodies look and feel better. Today we are freeing ourselves for the bigger, better deals. So today, let’s see how we can change our perspectives, one closet at a time! Be sure to mosey on back her tonight to see my daily recap!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

8 Comments

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 11 Recap

Hello again, savvy savers! So for the Day 11 challenge, I challenged everyone to clean off your homes most prized real estate, your counter-tops. So, today as my counter-tops were already cleaned off, but I thought I would share some of the ways I keep them cleared off!

A few ways I keep my counter-tops clear:

I keep my toaster oven, microwave, tool crock trio, and produce baskets on a small bakers rack.
All paper products, wraps, and lunch items are stored in in-cabinet wicker baskets.
Snacks are stored vertically in hanging baskets.
I keep a rack above my sink for washing accouterments and my favorite e-Pantry candles!
I keep my small appliances in a bottom cabinet; grill and baking appliances on one shelf, and all others on the bottom shelf.
I place my cutting boards in an upcycled magazine holder, on the side of my pantry.
All spices, food, and pantry items stay in the pantry!
Extra tools belong on my pullman cart beside my fridge!

I also created a coffee and tea station on top of my antique buffet table in my dining room. The station holds all of my mugs, cups, and baskets holding my k-cup products in cabinet, to maximize space. I find that having all of my Keurig, tea station, electric kettle in one area not only cuts down on kitchen clutter, but forces my family to better utilize out dining room space; being able to sit and drink tea coffee, and cocoa in a designated area promoted quality family time for us all!

And before anyone asks, are my cabinets cleared out? You betcha! I just love how much more efficient my home has become in the few weeks my counter tops have been cleared off. Every projects, from pantry cooking, prepping blanching projects, to folding laundry now has an area! And at the end of the day, when I wipe my counter tops off I feel a true sense of relief, not seeing clutter in every direction I turn! I highly recommend clearing of your counters, as it truly is a game changing experience!

As well today, I was also able to accomplish:

As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
I finished a day’s worth of clerking assignments ahead of schedule!
I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
Read my daily devotional.
I waked two miles.

Today I saved:

I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95.
I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag.
My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.
I lost a half day’s worth of electricity costs, and saved $3.00!

So, overall today my family saved: $14.57

This months savings goal remaining: $374.60

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Day 12 challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

8 Comments

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